How much does that pumpkin weigh? We have a winner.

Congratulations, Missi! She came within two pounds of guessing the weight of the giant pumpkin pictured in the post below. Originally, Missi guessed “102 pounds” (which was the closest guess) but when I called to tell her she had won the prize Tshirt, she added: “looking at the picture of the pumpkin more closely, I see it’s taller than a similar one I recently grew here in Hershey, Pa, so I’d say it’s probably closer to 130 pounds.” The actual weight is 128 pounds! I’m pointing all of this out for one reason: this is a cheeky example of how local knowledge (aka “citizen input,” “participatory activity” etc.) can inform discussions in ways we just cannot predict. Let’s see how citizen input in discussions of science policy matters can better inform policy decisions.